About the Kinesiology Collection

Kinesiology has a distinguished history at Illinois: in 1895 separate Departments of Physical Training for men and women were established and in 1901 George A. Huff was appointed Director of Physical Training. A school for athletic coaches was established by Huff in 1914, the first program of its type in the nation; in the same year Louise Freer was appointed director of physical training for women. A four-year curriculum in PE was approved in 1919, and the first student graduated with a major in PE in 1922. In 1932 the School of Physical Education was established, consisting of three Departments: Physical Education for Women, Physical Education for Men, and Health Service. The original Physical Education Library was established in 1949 in Room 104 of the Main Library; the first doctoral degree in physical education was awarded the same year. Dr. Seward C. Staley, director of the School of Physical Education, through his sustained interest and efforts, was largely responsible for building the original collection and securing space in the Main Library for a Physical Education Library. The basis of the collection consisted of 61 periodical subscriptions and a collection of roughly 4,000 books. When the northwest addition to the Main Library was completed in 1964, the Physical Education Library was moved to a new, larger space in Room 146. The name of the library was changed in 1975 to match the name of the college, Applied Life Studies. The name was changed again in 2006 to Applied Health Sciences. The AHS Library’s collection and services were merged with others to form the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL) in 2012.

Please direct all comments or requests for information to JJ Pionke, pionke@illinois.edu or (217) 265-0002